Ulises Valdez, Bartolomei Ranch Vineyard Manager

Ulises, our vineyard manager, who happens to be one of the most respected guys in the Russian River Valley, showed up too (which doesn’t usually happen during our harvest).  When Rod asked him why he’d shown up and why he was picking grapes (again, doesn’t happen), he said, “It’s the first day of harvest for us and we’re celebrating”, Rod and I celebrate everything.  Any chance for some champagne, a great dinner with the kids, a cake….  Rod said, “Oh, how are you celebrating?”.   Ulises said, “Man I’m PICKING GRAPES”.  Oh, that kind of celebrating…

 The weather was gorgeous, the kind of crystalline sunshine that makes everything gleam and photograph perfectly.

Megan, me and my husband Rod, sorting our Russian River Valley pinot noir at harvest

My kids, Rocco and Helen doing the real work- picking! Oh, wait, eating...

Megan, our Farmhouse sommelier, and No Name Winery (no,not the name of the winery) Winemaker, had already arrived with her Dad.  As an aside, I’d never met her dad, Ted, before- it was great to have him there with us!  If you read my first entry on our little project, you might remember that Megan comes from a restaurant family, her dad’s the chef/owner of Passionfish in Pacific Grove.  As another aside, if you did read that, would it have killed you to comment?  Anyway…

The weather was amazing, the crew was in action and the fruit flew off  the vines and into the bins, all gorgeous and purple and with very little sun damage (we’d worried that there was more).

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Clone 16, Jackson Clone

We only picked a ton (enough for about 60 cases of finished wine), so of course it wasn’t going to take long.   As the fruit came in, we sorted out any M.O.G (matter other than grapes) and the few clusters that did have sun damage, or sun burn, from a nasty heat spike a couple of weeks ago.  Once all of the fruit was into the half-ton picking bins, the crew loaded them up and hauled them over to C. Donatiello Winery, where we’re going to use their facility to make our wine.

Winemaker, Megan Glaab, sorting fruit

They spent the night in cold storage- just to make sure they were good and cold when it was time to process them.  Then, early Tuesday morning, the crew got back together, over at the winery, and the grapes were de-stemmed, sorted (to make sure nothing but pristine fruit went into the fermentation bin) and tucked into bins to cold soak.  The grapes will spend 5-7 days, just gently resting , while temperature control is used to hold off fermentation.   A juice panel went off to Vinquiry for analysis of acid and sugar, and so far, it’s all looking great.  Next step: Fermentation!

The Wine Country Shipping Van, All Refrigerated and Ready

You visit the wineries, purchase a bottle here and there, a case here and there, whatever you like.  You bring them back to Farmhouse, fill out a little form, and voila.  A whole future of memorable evenings is on the way to your door. 

Our guests put together such fun combinations (we always peek, I have to admit that).  We have people that have a theme- all pinot noir from small producers for example.  We’ll see twelve different bottles from twelve different wineries (Copain, Lynmar, Porter Creek and Hartford Court seem to be some big Farmhouse guest favorites- this week anyway).  Some go with all white or all big heavy reds…  I’ve been seeing a lot of that fantastic Martinelli Zinfandel… Or visit each of our eleven Winery Partners and have one slot to spare…Some guests want to make sure they won’t run out of that tiny production wine they’ve fallen in love with- they’ll ship home a case or two of each.

And, if guests want to mix the Wine Country Take Home up just a little- they can even include olive oil, jams and other non-wine memories… They tuck right into those fabulous- eco-friendly, recyclable shippers!  No extra cost to mix it up a little.  We love Preston Olive Oil, Kozlowski Jams and absolutely everything up at Quivira! 

Kozlowski Farms Jams, Russian River Valley Wine Country

You purchase it, leave it with us, and they pick it up and do the rest for you.  They’ll hold it for you if you’re not headed home right away (they’re holding some for guests who won’t be home unitl October).  They package it and they ship it to you under perfectly controlled conditions.  Oh, for those of you on Horizon Air, you can carry one case back with you for free.  Then Wine Counry Shipping willl ship the rest for you…

When you get here, don’t hesitate to ask me or my brother or our fabulous concierge team for recommendations for your own specialized take home box.  We love to help create fun, exciting vacations followed by really wonderful (and tasty) evenings at home.

I love that about this place!  Almost ten years into Farmhouse and the guest experience gets better every single day.  Our newest, and perhaps most exciting, program has just launched.  So far, the feedback is incredible. You know how we’re always talking about a Farmhouse stay being “experiental”?  Well this new program really speaks to that goal.

We call it our “Winery Friends” program.  Clever, huh?  We’ll, if you have a better name, send it our way…  But, here’s how it works.  We’ve collected information, over the last year or so, on the Russian River Valley wineries that our guests just rave about.  Then, we polled Geoff, our MS, and Megan, our sommelier, on their favorite local wines.  Then Joe and I sat down and thought about the actual people that we like the best at the tons of wineries around us.  Where all of those criteria converged- great experience, great wine, great people- we circled the winery.  Then, we made a bunch of calls. 

Basically, the premise was simple.  When Joe and I and our staff show up in your tasting room, you roll out the red carpet.  We want you to do the same for our guests.  That reserve wine you open for us, open for them.  That impromptu tour, or grape tasting, or sample from the barrel, offer it to them.  And, just about everyone we approached was incredibly enthusiastic.  So, you might be asking, “What do the wineries get in return?”.   Ha! Another win, win.  They get to come over a couple of times a year and have their wines featured during a private tasting for our guests.  Plus, we promote their events and promotions to our guests.  So, we send them our fabulous guests to taste and maybe buy their wine, and then they get to come over to Farmhouse to meet them again. 

These wineries are all open to the public.  No appointments required (that was another critical point in being chosen to participate)  They’re all nearby.  And they’re all treating Farmhouse guests like old friends.  Just like we think it oughta’ be. 

Here’s the list of wineries.  You night like to peruse them before you visit.  Some are little,  some are bigger, some are in their second or third generation, some are quite new, but they’re all really  special. 

Arista… C. Donatiello…Copain… Hartford Winery…Iron Horse… J Vineyards… Lynmar…Porter Creek… Russian Hill Estate…Thomas George… Woodenhead

Oh, I wish you could all join us for this little outing…  Friday, July 31st, Geoff and Joe (my brother) are going to take four very lucky Farmhouse guests, and two very illustrious members of the press (they’ll remain nameless for now…) out into the wilds of the Russian River Valley for some serious Wine Country adventure- Master Sommelier style.  Isn’t that just a picture?

Views of Russian River Valley

The Russian River Valley is becoming known for it’s new wave of grassroots winemaking.  A dozen or so incredibly talented and passionate winemakers have split off from bigger gigs or other ventures and have started their own things.  They’re blowing off the scores and making wine that we actually want to drink!  Food friendly wine.  Terroir driven wine.  Wines made from organic and even biodynamic vineyards.  Wines that taste like grapes not grape syrup!  It’s serious and we’re really excited. 

Geoff and I have put together a series, starting on July 31st and continuing each month on the last Friday, that will give him the opportunity to take you out and turn you on.   Geoff’s at the absolute forefront of what’s going on.  He’s tasting, he’s consulting and he’s hanging out with this whole new scene within the wine scene.  He’s going to show our guests vineyards on the coast that grow pinot noir in extreme conditions and result in miniscule volume but extraordinary quality.  He’s going to take guests into caves, into garages, onto mountains and underground to sample wines they would never have access to on their own. 

Each event will feature a farm-fresh picnic-style lunch at a winery or in a vineyard.  Joe will drive everyone around and Geoff will teach tasting and wine basics between stops.  Doesn’t that just sound like so much fun?

Here’s the Itinerary for the 31st  (written by Geoff, not me- and I love it!)

10 AM Leave The Farmhouse

10:15 AM to 11:30 Radio Coteau

Meet with winemaker Eric Sussman to taste some of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir and Syrah. The wines at Radio Coteau manage a rare balance of rich California fruit with plush textures and elegance. An unusual chance to taste these limited production wines.

Grapes coming in at Radio-Coteay

11:45 AM to 1:30 PM Scherrer Winery

We will join Fred Scherrer at his annual open house to taste through a range of current release and older vintages. Fred offers a wide range of wines from Cabernet to Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Always one of Sonoma’s sleeper wineries, they are not only moderately priced but develop beautifully with a few years in bottle. Lunch will be provided from a local chef.

There's Fred

1:45 PM to 2:45 PM Arnot Roberts

Unarguably one of the hottest new producers in Sonoma County. A diverse range of wines from low oak Chardonnay to cool climate Syrah and rich full-bodied single vineyard Cabernets. These two young winemakers are blazing the way for Sonoma’s next generation.

3 PM to 4 PM WesMar Winery

Denise Selyem, daughter of Russian River Pioneer Ed Selyem of Williams Selyem, makes elegant single vineyard Pinot Noir’s from Russian River and Sonoma Coast. Food friendly, feminine, delicate yet mouth filling wines that remind you what Pinot Noir is supposed to taste like.

That's how they do it at WesMar

 Call or email for more information.  707.887.3300 or catherine@farmhouseinn.com. 

Geoff will still oversee the Wine Program, buying all of the wine and maintaining the list, and he’s going to keep several floor shifts, but we’re moving him into more of a “property-wide” position.  Which means, that for you, our guests, the quality of our wine program in the inn is about to take a huge leap.  He’s going to really re-vamp the “in room” wine program, bringing you more selections and information.  He’s already created, and we’re about to debut, a six-bottle “to go” package, that gives you access to wines that you can’t find on your own.  He has some great stuff in this first offering.  And, he’s going to start a monthly program, where on the last Friday of each month, he takes up to 12 Farmhouse guests, loads them into a van, and spends the day taking you all over RRV- vineyards, wineries, caves, you name it.  Lunch will be included at one of the wineries.  Watch our website, I’ll have the costs and information up soon.  But, the first Friday date is July 31st.  So if you’re planning a trip, give us a call and we’ll put you on the list for more information as we have it.

So, Joe and I had nowhere to go but up.  In the beginning, I did the list.   But, tasting, ordering, updating the menu, training the staff on the wines, is really time consuming.  And plus, I wasn’t that good at it.  So I passed it off to our Maitre d’, who got things rolling along a little more swiftly, but still, it was miles from what it should have been to complement the quality of Steve’s food. 

Finally, after a few more stabs at sort of pasting a wine program onto the restaurant, the person who was running it, while maintaining a full server position, decided to move on.  It was time to give wine at Farmhouse some serious thought.  We were still really small, and money was still really tight, and the thought of hiring someone just to manage wine seemed impossible- we weren’t selling a whole lot of wine, and profits weren’t very good.

But, timing and luck have seemed to be in our favor over the last eight years (I probably just jinxed that one), and as luck would have it the person we were seeking was also seeking us.  Joe placed an ad in Craig’s List of all places, for someone to come in and I’m not sure what- basically take over the program, cost us little and make us tons. 

Within a day or so, Joe got a call from this “great sounding guy in New York”.  Geoff was working as Sommelier for Balthazarin the city, and helping to manage the programs for their other restaurants as well.  His girlfriend had been offered an opportunity to come out and work harvest at Williams Selyem, and so he was looking for something fun in Sonoma County, while he prepared to take the Master Sommelier exam.  We got together, struck a bargain and it’s been great for both of us.  Geoff passed the Master’s almost two years ago- and now finds himself on a short list of top young American wine professionals.  Which is, of course, great for us!

So, things like the StarChef award, while not uncommon for our Farmhouse Crew, provide great opportunities for us to get out, attend the events planned around the awards and see what’s really going on out here.  As we already knew, Wine Country is amazing.  Joe and I attended the “Gala Awards Party,” at Charles Krug Winery in Napa, last night. 

Charles Krug Winery at Sunset

What an incredible collection of talented people.  Visit the StarChef link above- it takes you to the list of winners, with their bios and the “Dish That Cinched It” for each of them.  Each chef prepared that dish last night, and Geoff paired all of the wines to go with each dish.  So, the Barrel Room at Charles Krug was transformed into a series of stations, where they were preparing and serving these incredible little morsels paired with wines or beers from around the world.  Two of the dishes that really stood out were Restaurant Eloise’s Egg Yolk Ravioli with Sweet Peas, Local Butter and Black Truffles and Bouchon’sTrumpet Mushroom and Sunchoke Salad.  John and Duskie, from our favorite neighbor,  Zazu, did housemade salumi and antipasti that were some of the best I’ve ever had.   I have all of the recipes- actually all of the recipes listed on the StarChef site- let me know if you’d like any of them.  And, Scott Beattie’s Bella Ruffinas and Bellinis

Scott's Bellini

were incredible.  He has a beautiful book out with all of the seasonal and ground breaking cocktails that he invented/created while he was at Cyrus.  A few of the wines that, had I not been driving, I’d have gone back for more of were the 2007 Pinot Gris, RRV, from Wind Gap (a new producer, right here in Forestville-we can make you an appointment to visit when you come to Farmhouse) and the Sheldon Wines 2005 “Vinolocity”, cooincidently the owner/winemaker, Dylan Sheldon, is part of our Farmhouse Team in his “spare” time. 

So, all in all, a wonderful evening under a spectacular Napa summer sky, celebrating tributes to well deserving industry professionals.  So, it’s not all hard work for me and Joe…